A rare photo of a black iceberg was posted on Reddit and has gone viral. The photo which was posted on Friday Jan. 4 has over a thousand comments and was featured on Reddit's front page.
MSN reports that a black iceberg is formed by "a higher density of bubble-free ice with a greater amount of rock detritus from the base of the parent glacier."
The Canada Encyclopedia said that most icebergs are white but some tend to appear in other darker colors.
"Others may appear green, brown or black, or combinations of these colors. These icebergs have usually rolled over, exposing basal ice, or have emerged from below water level. The various colorations are caused by differences in density, air-bubble content and impurities. For example, black ice is of high density and bubble free; dark layers indicate the presence of rock materials derived from the base of the parent glacier. Occasionally, rocks may be found on the original upper surface of the iceberg. As the iceberg melts, these materials precipitate into marine or lake sediments."
The iceberg photo was posted by user, Rundboll but there wasn't an explanation of where the photo was taken or when.
An iceberg is a large piece of ice that has been detached from a glacier by a process known as "calving," explains the Canada Encyclopedia.
"The glacier may be flowing into a FJORD, or may be an ice shelf (floating glacier of large dimensions extending beyond the coastline). Icebergs thus created may melt or disintegrate, giving rise to smaller pieces called "growlers" and "bergy bits"," says The Canada Encyclopedia.
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